Lucinda has taught business and information technology and has a PhD in Education.

This lesson discusses multimedia advertising in the social media environment. It introduces a variety of promotional platforms and then discusses how each can be used by marketers according to their marketing objectives and goals.

Multimedia Advertising

In advertising, channels are where an organization places its advertising. Channels for traditional advertising would be television, newspapers, and magazines. Sometimes organizations use more than one channel to advertise. For example, an organization can start an advertising campaign by placing an ad on television and a similarly focused ad in the newspaper. Multimedia advertising is using different types of media (or channels) to promote a product, brand, or service. It's generally a good idea to use multiple channels for advertising so that the targeted customers will get the message no matter what they are doing - watching TV, reading the newspaper, or listening to the radio.

With the advent of digital marketing, which consists of e-mail, websites, mobile phones, electronic billboards, tablets, and, of course, social media, using multiple channels or multimedia is even more important since so many customers and potential customers conduct most of their personal and professional business online. Basically, an organization could present advertising in two or more of these channels depending on who they are targeting. In fact, many of the customers that organizations want to target are using social media extensively. Let's look at some of the social media marketing channels available to organizations and how they can best be used.

Social Media Channels

Social media marketing is quite simply using the internet and social media sites to gain attention for an organization, a product, or a service. Each of the following social media platforms can be used alone or, for the best results, can be used in sync to get the advertising message out to customers or potential customers.

The first, Facebook, has almost two billion users. Most of these users are there to connect with family and friends. Organizations can use Facebook as an advertising platform to reach people based on age, location, gender, and interests. It has the advantage of being mobile (it can travel with a customer wherever they are) and can use video to attract customers. The cost of an ad is generally low, and Facebook makes it relatively easy to measure the effectiveness of an advertisement.

YouTube has over one billion active users each month and is exclusively in video formatting. Organizations can use YouTube to present creative videos designed to capture the attention of consumers. A really well-done video can go viral, meaning it is shared over and over, which generates high traffic.

Instagram has over six hundred million users. It's primarily a visual media channel where users can share photos, videos, and messages. Organizations can use Instagram to see what consumers are saying or sharing about their company, product, or service since many of the active Instagram users are already sharing pictures of products and businesses they recommend.

Twitter has over three hundred million users, and unlike Instagram, Twitter is primarily text based. Organizations can use Twitter to target geographic areas or mobile devices and to host a conversation. Organizations can make use of promoted Tweets by purchasing a Tweet to reach more of their target audience.

Pinterest has over one hundred fifty million users and is primarily a collection board of pictures that interest the user. It is one of largest website traffic drivers, meaning when a user posts an image from another site, it automatically generates a link to the site so that other people seeing the post will be able to access the original web page. Pinterest users are multi-generational, so organizations can target a wider range of customers. Additionally, by following Pinterest, organizations can see what consumers are interested in and what is trending.

LinkedIn has over five million users. It is primarily a professional networking site targeted at people who are interested in promoting their professional image. It uses a variety of formats, including video, photos, and text. It's a perfect venue for organizations who target other businesses, which is referred to as B2B.

Social Media Marketing and its Goals

There are a lot of options out there for multimedia advertising, so how does an organization decide which to use? Should they use all of them? It really all depends on what their ultimate goal is for their advertising. Let's look at the four big goals that marketers might want to use social media for:

The first goal is customer retention. If the goal is to keep current customers, the organization should use more focused channels such as LinkedIn or Twitter so they can send messages directly to existing customers.

The second is lead generation. If the goal is to generate new sales leads, the organization should use a more widespread approach. Instagram can be used to identify current users and potential customers, while Facebook posts can be used to generate interest.

The third is to provide information. If the goal is to provide information about the organization, the best channels to use will be Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

The fourth is to drive traffic to a website. If the goal is to encourage users to visit the organization's website, any of the social media sites could work, but Pinterest has the most direct line.

Whichever media or channel an organization uses for their social media marketing, they have to remember to make their message consistent across all the channels. Ultimately, the goal is to get the organization's name out there in front of the customer as often as possible.

Lesson Summary

Multimedia advertising is placing advertising in more than one channel, or media. A channel, or media, can be traditional such as television, radio, and newspapers, or digital such as email, websites, and social media. Social media marketing is designing advertising specifically for social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or LinkedIn. Organizations who want to advertise on social media can use multiple channels to make sure their message gets as wide an audience as possible.

Summary:

Earning College Credit

Did you know… We have over 200 college
courses that prepare you to earn
credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. You can test out of the
first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn
credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level.

Videos, quizzes & homework help

Watch 5 minute video clips, get step by step explanations, take practice quizzes and tests to master any topic.

Did you know?

Study.com has a library of 550,000 questions and answers for covering your toughest textbook problems

Students love Study.com

I love the way expert tutors clearly explains the answers to my homework questions. Keep up the good work!

- Maritess, College Student

Study.com video lessons have helped over 30 million
students.

Students Love Study.com

"I learned more in 10 minutes than 1 month of chemistry classes"

- Ashlee P.

Students Love Study.com

"I learned more in 10 minutes than 1 month of chemistry classes"

- Ashlee P.

Earn College Credit

"I aced the CLEP exam and earned 3 college credits!"

- Clair S.

Family Plan Includes

Free parent account

Add one or more paid student subscriptions

View individual student lesson progress

Monitor quiz scores

Receive weekly email status updates

Over 65 million users have prepared for
{{displayNameByProductKey[registrationData.product || testPrepCocoon]}} and other
exams on Study.com

Teachers Love Study.com

"The videos have changed the way I teach! The videos on Study.com accomplish in
5 minutes what would take me an entire class."

- Chris F.

Teachers Love Study.com

"It provides a quick and engaging way to cover material needed to understand readings we are covering in class."

Teresa P.

Ohio, United States

"It provides a quick and engaging way to cover material needed to understand readings we are covering in class."

Teresa P.

Ohio, United States

"A teacher friend recommended Study.com for social studies. I enjoy assigning the videos to my students. The videos are short, to the point, and the quiz allows me to test their knowledge on whatever subject in social studies I am teaching at the time."

Nancy A.

Ohio, United States

"Every time I have searched for a lesson, there has been a perfect match to my needs as a middle school teacher of science, and algebra."

Kathy S.

New Jersey, United States

"Your lessons are very well developed, especially the videos that use analogies for scientific phenomena. Great way to memorize science concepts."

Lusy D.

California, United States

"I love the way the lessons are laid out in small chunks with quizzes to make sure you understand a concept before moving on. Excellent!"

Brandy K.

"I am a 7th-grade teacher and often use it for language arts and world history. The students find it quite engaging. On a professional note, it has helped me pass 2 out of the for 4 Single Subject CSET English Exams! Now I am using it to help me pass the last 2 subtest exams."

Scott S.

California, United States

"As a math/science tutor I find these lessons extremely helpful when introducing concepts to my students or reinforcing what they have been taught."

Tim H.

Barbados

"I like that students can retake quizzes until they achieve a perfect score. I also like the
ability to create "guided note templates" from the transcripts of each video lesson."

Jaime B.

Teacher, High School 9-12 Computer Science

West Plains, MO

Over 65 million users have prepared for
{{displayNameByProductKey[registrationData.product || testPrepCocoon]}} and other
exams on Study.com

Over 65 million users have prepared for
{{displayNameByProductKey[registrationData.product || testPrepCocoon]}} and other
exams on Study.com